Clown Loach Seems Drunk

[sophos9]

Hi all, hope you can help....

Bought 2 clown loaches on Saturday and introduced them to my tank.

One loach is fine, swimming around and hiding, eating etc...

The other loach is all wierd, he swims around but seem to have no control over his body.... I mean he sits on the substrate and falls over on his side, then roll on his back, then starts swimming and looks like he is going to tip over then nosedives into a plant or something. I've given them cucumber and frozen brine shrimp and they have ate some snail....

He looks fine, skin and colors are bright and well defined although he is gasping a fair bit

The water did spike initially:
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0.25
Nitrate - 5
PH - 7.8

but after a 20% water change are now:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 7.8

3 stage filter that is working fine and usual 10% changes per week. Tank is a 69litre hexagonal job... Ihave never used any chems in there, all other fish are fine.

Other fish are:
2 x ancistrus
5 x neon tetras
5 x zebra danios
1 x neon dwarf gourami

I know that clowns are renouned for laying on their side etc but I'm not sure it should be this much...? Please help!

 

[WILDER]

For a start the tank is way to small for clown laoches even when they are small they need a 50gal, as they get bigger you need a 90gal.
Sounds like the fish has swim bladder and he sounds bad, i don't think he's going to make it. sorry.

http/www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-mai...swimbladder.htm

http/www.bollmoraakvarieklubb.org/artikl...own%20loach.htm

 

[drango91]

yeah poor fishie,take him/her out after a few days, its best that it doesnt suffer

 

[sophos9]

Hi thanks for the help. Bad news this morning, the fish looked really really poorly just laying around gasping so I took him out and put him in a bowl with some water and ice cubes... poor little loach!

The tank is only temporary until I move house which will be in the next month or two

 

[Seidge]

after 20% water change your nitrates have disappeared? Bit weird

 

[starrynightxxi]

ice cubes? loaches are tropical, cold water isn't going to make him feel better. and are the ice cubes dechlorinated?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ice cubes? loaches are tropical, cold water isn't going to make him feel better. and are the ice cubes dechlorinated?

i think they meant they euthenaised (sp) the fish

 

[starrynightxxi]

ah

 

[timmystood]

Yeah, adding ice cubes to water a way of killing a fish to put it out of it's misery, not the best way in my opionion (sp?)

 

[starrynightxxi]

yes, well, i know about freezing a fish, but never heard of adding ice cubes

 

[sophos9]

Hi, yes sorry for not making that clear. In the current situation, the only option was to euthanise the poor loach, he was really poorly

To clarify the water thing. I added 5 neons and 2 loaches into a tank that had been established for about 5 months, 1 day after I tested the water and ammonia and nitrite - had both risen to 0.25, nitrate at 5. I conducted an 20% change same day and tested next, ammonia at 0, nitrite at 0.25 with nitrate at 5. Yesterday I tested and all was at 0.

The neons and other clown loach are all so happy, the other clown is eating well, eating cucumber, snails and brine shrimp...